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Hi Adam,
There are, indeed, a trick or two. First, if yours hasn't been maintained, the cheap crappy packing gland wrenches you can buy at West Marine or where ever are totally useless. I mean, don't even bother. You're wasting your money. Go to http://thesailinglife.blogspot.com and look at the wrenches I bought at Home Depot – they're Rigid offset wrenches like pipe wrenches except the jaws are flat so they don't screw up the bronze. They work like a charm – I've been dealing with this problem for months, trying to figure out how to get the locking nut loosened and the cheap wrenches twisted and turned and bent and went out of size and basically made my life an upside down knee cracking, knuckle whacking hell.
Go spend the 30 bucks. It took one of those wrenches, a spritz with PB Blaster, and two taps (and I really mean 'tap') with a hammer and the job was done. Locking nut loosened. Ran all the way down, undid the packing nut, ran locking nut all the way off, used lithium grease (as in the grease for boat trailer wheel bearings) schmeared on the threads to prevent further corrosion.
If you don't need to repack (which is probably the case if no maintenance was done), just run the locking nut way down, tighten the packing nut until the leak stops (but not so tight that the shaft is hard to turn), and run the locking nut back up snugly. Not tight. Just snug.
If, however, the packing nut has been run as tight as it can go, you'll need to remove all the packing and re-pack. When I do it, I'll use 3/16 graphite impregnated packing because it can run driplessly, not necessarily on the rudder post, but on the main shaft. Be aware that the rudder post's top is below the waterline so that if you remove the packing you'll get water in the boat. Towards that end, cut three pieces beforehand using the clear part of the rudder shaft as a form. Make sure the cuts are at 90 degrees and when you install them, make sure the cuts are 90 degrees offset from the last packing ring.
That's about it. It's a pain in the but to do, but if you're not to large a person, it's fairly easy. Really, get the wrench. That's the biggest boon to the project.
Good luck!
Bob
On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 5:37 AM, adam silverstein < ([email][/email])> wrote:
mine leaks. how are these packed, and are there any tricks to repacking?
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Bob Fine
Fine Software LLC
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Hi Rodd,
For the rudder you have a 5/16″ packing? Mine's a lot smaller. I wonder if they changed over the years or perhaps I measured wrong…
Bob
On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 6:11 AM, Rodd Leeds < ([email][/email])> wrote:
Quote:same as the shaft, but need one size up in packing size– use 5/16 in. rings–3 rings.Rodd Leeds
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Hi Bob–
I don’t know about changes in diameter; however, my prop shaft is 1 1/2″ and takes 1/4 ” packing. The rudder shaft is larger diameter, so it takes larger packing, and I used 5/16 with no problem(ie no leaks!).
hey, any news on golf cart batteries? I’m going cruising in a couple of weeks and need to replace two 6 volt batts.
Thanks!
btw, how did you make out with the bad weather the day you left?Rodd
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Ok, now I see – my rudder shaft and main shaft are the same size. 1.5″. So the packing for both is identical. My friend got the batteries from Interstate – 6 V golf cart batteries. http://interstatebatteries.com
Bob
On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 6:54 AM, Rodd Leeds < ([email][/email])> wrote:
Quote:Hi Bob–I don't know about changes in diameter; however, my prop shaft is 1 1/2″ and takes 1/4 ” packing. The rudder shaft is larger diameter, so it takes larger packing, and I used 5/16 with no problem(ie no leaks!).
hey, any news on golf cart batteries? I'm going cruising in a couple of weeks and need to replace two 6 volt batts.
Thanks!
btw, how did you make out with the bad weather the day you left?Rodd
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I tried both – to no avail until I got the right wrench. It may be that mine was never maintained. The worst case scenario…
Bob
On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 6:53 AM, quent < ([email][/email])> wrote:
Regarding loosening the packing gland, try turning the gland nut first, not the locking (lower one) nut. Once the top nut is loose, the locking nut will move more easily.
Quent
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Bob Fine
Fine Software LLC
Your data on the web your way. No kiddingPost generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
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+1 to adam’s comments, I have never had a more frustrating P.O.S. tool than the WM packing nut wrench. You have to adjust it every 1/4 turn, and even then it’s hit or miss if you will get any rotation on the nut,, or just fly off it and bang your knuckles on something.
I also found the little corkscrew tool pretty useless, a bent nail and visegrips or a dental pick or a coathanger seem to work better at getting all the little bits of flax out.
On 8/4/08 6:04 AM, Robert Fine wrote :
Hi Adam,
There are, indeed, a trick or two. First, if yours hasn’t been maintained, the cheap crappy packing gland wrenches you can buy at West Marine or where ever are totally useless. I mean, don’t even bother. You’re wasting your money.
Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
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An alternative to large wrenches: After lubricating nuts and threads with WD 40 or PB Blaster some light hammer taps on a cernter punch placed near the end of a flat on the lock nut will usually loosen it. I can usually tighten the packing nut adequately by hand and then re-tighten the lock nut in the same manner that I loosened it.
Phil Fontaine
Aurora.Quote:
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Hi Phillipe,
I tried that – and I found I'm too clumsy to get a good swing without hitting something that really shouldn't be hit (like my knee or hand).
Even if that works, I strongly recommend a good set of wrenches that do the job. In the Navy, hitting nuts on pipes and shafts was highly frowned upon. Not that it wasn't done, mind you, but it was frowned upon….
Bob
On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 5:38 PM, Philippe Fontaine < ([email][/email])> wrote:
Quote:An alternative to large wrenches: After lubricating nuts and threads with WD 40 or PB Blaster some light hammer taps on a cernter punch placed near the end of a flat on the lock nut will usually loosen it. I can usually tighten the packing nut adequately by hand and then re-tighten the lock nut in the same manner that I loosened it.
Phil Fontaine
Aurora.Quote:
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